Belt-buckle



L. W. SHIELDS.

BELT BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYIS, 1920.

Patented June 14, 1921.

1 ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOWELL W. SHIELDS, OF ROCHESTER, NEVJ YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HICKOK MANUFAC-TUBING COIi/IPANY, INC, OF ROCHESTER, NEW-T YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

BELT-BUCKLE.

iesiess.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 14, 1921.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, LOWELL "N. SHIELDS, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt-Buclrles, of which the following is a speoification.

The present invention relates to belt buckles and more particularly tothe type in which a frame is provided ith one end of the'belt anchoredthereto and a clamping device is mounted for movement on the frame toclamp the other end of the belt. an object of this invention being toprovide a construction which is inexpensive to manufacture, effectivefor securing the belt end, and durable in construction.

To this and other ends, the invention consists of certain parts andcombinations of parts all of which will be hereinafter described, thenovel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

F ignre 1 is face view of a buckle constructed in accordance with thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear view;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section showing the belt end clampedin the buckle;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the manner in whichthe belt is introduced through the slot in the clamp;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the clamp; and

Fig. 7 is an end view of the clamp.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the front plateof the buckle frame. which in this instance also comprises lateral sidefian es 2, the rear face of the front plate serving as a surface againstwhich the free end of the belt 3 is adapted to be held by the clampingmember. The belt has one end anchored to the frame in any suitablemanner as by swinging member e, in the form of a rod bent into U- shapedform and having its ends turned out wardly at 5 and journaled in theside flanges 2.

The side flanges 2 also preferably serve for supporting the clampingmember 6, which in this instance is formed from sheet metal with a slotor opening 7. the edges of the sheet metal being turned laterally at 8and 9 to provide two ribs one of which is longer than the other, whilethe ends of the piece of sheet metal are provided with projections 10having laterally deflected ends 11. The side flanges 2 of the frameprovided with slots, the outer ends 12 of which are arranged at asmaller angle to the rear surface of the front plate 1 than are theinner ends 13. The projections 10 operate in these slots and thelaterally turned ends of the projections confine the clamping member inthe slots and at the same time provide operating portions by which theclamping member may be moved in the slots. The ribs 8 and 9 of theclamping member are disposed toward the clamp ing face of the frame, andwhen the clamping member is positioned toward the inner ends of theslots through the laterally turned portions, the rib 9 is thrown awayfrom the clamping face of the frame as shown in Fig. 5, while the rib 8is brought in close abutment to such clamping face so that it ispossible to pass the strap end 8 through the slot 7 and between the rib9 and the clamping face of the frame as shown in Fig. 5. After the belthas been properly adjusted, the clamping member is moved by hand towardthe outer ends of the slots so that the rib 9 will clamp the strapagainst the clamping face of the frame of the buckle as shown in Fig. 4.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the slotted side flanges of theframe provide means for supporting the clamping member so that suchclamping member may move over the clamping surface of the frame in orderto cause the rib 9 on the inner side of the slot in the clamping memberto move toward and from the clamping surface, said slotted flanges alsoholding the rib 8 on the outer side of the slot in the clamping memberclose to the clamping surface of the frame when the clamping member isshifted to the inner ends of the slots to carry the rib 9 away from theclamping surface, thus preventing thebelt being passed under theclamping member without being passed through the slot. The projectionson the clamping member provide wide bearing surfaces on the walls of theslots so that the wearing of said walls at any one point is prevented.At the same time, these projections serve as operating portions for theclamping member. The form of the slots in the flanges throws th clampingmember to a position where the introduction of the strip through theslot in the clamping member is facilitated, while at the same time thepassing of the strap under the outer edge of the clamping slide isprevented. It is apparent that the stronger the pull on the strap thegreater will be the pressure of the clamping means upon said strap.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent isV 1. A belt buckle comprising a frame having a clamping surface, aclamping member having a slot through which the belt end is passed inorder to pass between said clamping member and the clamping surface, andmeans for supporting said clamping member for movement over saidclamping surface to cause a portion of the clamping member on one sideof the slot to move toward and from the clamping surface'of the frame,and for holding a portion of the clamping member on the other side ofthe slot close to the surface when the member is shifted to carry theclamping portion thereof away from the clamping surface so as to preventthe belt end being passed under the clamping memher without being passedthrough the slot in the clamping member.

2. A belt buckle comprising a frame having a rear face forming aclamping surface and having also side flanges on opposite sides of saidsurface provided with slots, the

inner ends of which are arranged at a smaller angle to the clampingsurface of the frame than the outer ends, and a clamping member having aslot through which the belt end is passed in order to pass between saidclamping member and the clamping surface,

said clamping member having projections operating in the slots of theside flanges.

3. A belt buckle comprising a frame hav a face forming a clampingsurface, and a clamping member having a slot through which t is belt endis passed in order to pass between said clamping member and the clampingsurface, said clamping member being movable on the frame and having onopposite sides of the slot two ribs turned toward and operating over theclamping surface, the rib on the inner side being longer than that onthe outer side and arranged to clamp the belt against the surface andthe rib on the outer side being arranged to cooperate with the framesurface to prevent the belt being passed between said rib and thesurface.

4-. it; belt buckle comprising a frame formed by a frontplate andlaterally e1rtending side flanges, the surface of the plate between theflanges acting as a clamping surface, and a clamping member formed witha slot through which the belt is passed in order to pass between theclamping member and the frame, said clamping member being movablysupported on the flanges so that upon tension on the belt, the portionof the belt between the clamping member and the frame will be heldagainst movement and the clamping member on one side of the slot willcooperate with the clamping surface of the frame to prevent the passageof the belt between such clamp side and the clamping surface.

LOWELL W. SHIELDS.

